Academic Motivation of Student AthletesFor decades there has been a debate about student athletes and their drive to succeed in the classroom. Since the inception of organized athletics at the college level, the goal of wanting to succeed in athletics has forced students to put academics on the back burner. Despite the goal of success, over a hundred years of attempts to test the limits of intercollegiate athletic programs on the academic standards of universities still seem to struggle to this day. This brings up one of the most frequently asked questions in sports: “What effect do college sports have on academics and the economy?” Herbert D. Simons, Derek Van Rheenen and Martin V. Covington, authors of "Academic Motivation and the Student Athlete," studied whether athletics and academics benefit each other. Bryan Flynn, the author of “College Sports vs. Academics” asks the question “Should institutions of higher education continue to engage in athletic programs that often turn out to be virtual arms races to recruit talented players who bring big money and prestige , but put academics on the back burner?” Although both authors agree that sports have an impact on an athlete's academic performance, the focus of their argument is different. Herbet D. Simans, Derek Van Rheenen, and Martin V. Covington focus their argument on the academic motivation of student athletes and what makes them want to succeed in the classroom as well as on the field. While Flynn also focuses on the academic motivation of student athletes, he also discusses how universities tend to spend more money on sports-related needs for students instead of their education. Flynn's argument shows how universities are fundamentally a business... means of paper... for failure to leave one's perception of one's abilities and self-worth intact. As stated in my introductory paragraphs, both authors examine the academic motivation of student athletes, but focus their arguments on different aspects. Since both authors agree that athletics has a large impact, it becomes more difficult to choose one topic over the other. Both Flynn and Herbert D. Simon have similar ideas in which they argue, but add their own opinions. Both authors have strong agreement, but the way they present their ideas is completely different. Works Cited Power, Clark. “Athletics versus Academics.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, January 14, 2014. Web. April 7, 2014. White, Fred D. and Simone J. Billings. The well-crafted argument: across the curriculum. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2013. Print.